With international supplies of medical protective equipment in large demand, the B.C. healthy ministry is preparing to introduce stocks of donated and unconventional supplies for healthcare workers.
The health ministry is struggling to replace the traditional products in the context of all this worldwide demand but safe and effective alternatives are available. The use of alternative and equivalent PPE is on the horizon, usually within the next week.
The donated or alternative-sourced equipment is initially checked against specifications of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Standards, a U.S. standard also used in Canada. They are also sent for lab testing if there is any question on filtration or fluid resistance for masks, gowns, and other equipment.
The product is manually inspected for tears and irregularities. For the N95 respirators, the seal and fit of the mask are tested.
Conventional supplies have continued to arrive, including an Easter weekend shipment of more than 100,000 N95 respirators, 51,000 face shields, and 1.2 million gloves.
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Learn how to stay safe by enrolling in a mask fitting test which is a requirement for many workplaces and school admissions or check out our available masks for sale by visiting our face mask sale page.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200504-coronavirus-what-is-the-best-kind-of-face-mask
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/face-masks-importance-battle-with-covid19
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/cloth-face-coverings-information.pdf